Something More to Dream of
by Anawey
Summary: As a little boy - barely four - Zuko and his family had taken a vacation, sailing south, just for the sake of going, and getting out of the Fire Nation. But then little Zuko wanders away, and is found by Iccari, the mother of Katara and Sokka. How diffe
1. Chapter 1

Something More To Dream Of

As a little boy - barely four - Zuko and his family had taken a vacation, sailing south, just for the sake of going, and getting out of the Fire Nation. But then little Zuko wanders away, and is found by Iccari, the mother of Katara and Sokka. How different will things be in the Avatar's world, now that a prince of the Fire Nation is lost, growing up among the people of the Southern Water Tribe?

Disclaimer; I'm not Mike or Bryan, therefore, I don't own Avatar. Though I do own some action figures, a drawing of a Zuko plushie I still need to make, and the two seasons already out on boxed set dvd.

Prologue; The Boy Lost  
XxX

Ursa laughed as she watched her son play on the ship's deck, holding the two-year-old in her arms. Her son, Zuko jumped and spun cutely to the tune Iroh made on his sungi horn. It was endearingly precious, to Ursa. Her baby boy, who was still just learning to firebend. Her sweet four-year-old angel. He was such a good boy. He'd been a good baby, too. Quiet, calm, obedient. But delicate, and small, as well. Everyone was dressed warmly as the ship sailed among the icebergs, but especially Zuko. Ursa had origionally been against the idea of going south, but Iroh, ever the energetic, lovable older uncle to little Zuko, had managed to convince Ursa to come along and bring Zuko. And now, the more she watched her son laughing as he danced as only an innocent child could - basically just turning around and smiling - Ursa was glad she'd agreed.

Iroh watched little Zuko play around infront of him, attempting a four-year-old's version of dancing. It was cute, and Iroh was glad Ursa had let the boy come along. Yes, he was young, and tiny, and sometimes prone to catching a cold, but he was strong in ways that were hard to see. From his birth, the midwives and healers had predicted he wouldn't be a bender at all, but he was. And he was such a sweet boy.

From Ursa's arms, the two-year-old, a little girl named Azula, cried out, and reached for her brother.

"Zu'o, Zu'o!" she demanded, looking to her mother and pointing to her brother. "Wa'a p'ay wi' Zu'o!" Ursa smiled, and let Azula down. The little girl squealed and toddled over to Zuko, to join him in 'dancing'.

"Zu'o!" she cheered as brother and sister held hands, and spun in a circle, both laughing and smiling. At one point, Azula's grip slipped, and she and Zuko both fell back onto the deck, Zuko's momentum causing him to sumersault into a coil of rope. When he tried to stand up, he was tangled in the line, and toppled over again. "Zu'o 'all ofer!" Azula stated with a worried frown, pointing to where her brother was struggling to get the thick rope off himself. Ursa strode over and helped untangle her son. Once he was out, Zuko clung to his mother, sniffling, and gingerly touched a blooming bump on his forehead, instantly pulling his hand away when he felt pain. He whimpered, and Ursa gently shushed him.

"It's just a little bump, my son," she said softly. "You'll be okay. Just be careful, alright?" Zuko nodded, smiling, as he scrubbed at the tears still on his face, then hugged Ursa again. Smiling, Ursa set him down, an the boy went to sit infront of Iroh, who offered a story for the boy and his sister, who scrambled over and leaned against Zuko. Iroh smiled and began his story.

-

-

Hours later, Iroh had finished the story. Ozai had joined his family on the deck, despite being in a bad mood from having caught a cold in the freezing weather (He'd insisted that, because of his bending, he didn't need extra clothes. How wrong he'd been). He sat off to the side, wrapped in blankets, annoyed and sniffling.

When he saw his father, Zuko's face lit up, and he ran over, followed closely by Azula.

"Daddy!" little Zuko cried. He tried scrambling into his father's lap, but Ozai grabbed him with a tired, uninterested groan, and set him back on the ground. Hurt flashed in Zuko's eyes for a moment. Then he looked hopefully up at his father again. "Momma said you was sick, Daddy. Are you better?"

"Da'y bedew?" Azula chimed in hopefully. Ozai shook his head, his eyes narrowing.

"No," he snapped, glaring down at the two siblings. "Go bother your uncle!" Azula squeaked and scooted closer to Zuko.

"Ozai!" Ursa scolded, moving to comfort the two children. They were both scared by their father's harsness, and sadened that he didn't want to see them. "That was cold."

"I don't care right now," he growled, stifling a cough. He stood and walked away. "I'm going back inside."

Ursa sighed and shook her head, and hugged the two little ones close. She smiled reasuringly at them, an idea springing into her head.

"How would you two like to explore one of these larger icebergs?" Ursa asked. Zuko and Azula shared a look, and their faces were lit with identical grins of excitement. Ursa smiled again, and went to ask the helmsman if they could stop for a while.

As soon as the ship stopped, Zuko and Azula were off and running, playing in the foriegn snow and ice.

Ursa stood next to Iroh, watching her children. Iroh, however, was watching the clouds. They were light and fluffy not a second ago, and - was that a snowflake?! Before Iroh could say anything, snow was swirling down around them, fast and hard, nearly blinding everyone. Frantic to get her children back, Ursa moved forward into the sudden storm, calling to them.

"Zuko! Azula!" she screamed. Over the wind, she heard a faint voice calling back.

"Mommy!" Zuko's small voice was high and frightened, and with it, slightly softer, Ursa could hear Azula crying for her as well. After a moment, she found the two, and knelt next to them.

"Zuko, listen to me!" she cried over the wind. "I want you to hold my hand, and don't let go, no matter what, understand?" Zuko nodded, his golden eyes terrified. Ursa nodded, and stood, pulling Azula into her arms, and taking Zuko's tiny hand in her own.

Along the way back to the ship, Zuko fiddled with his scarf. It kept blowing and nearly falling off. It was a gift from his aunt, who'd died two years ago in an accidental fire, and he didn't want to loose it. Unfortunately, at one point, the wind just blew too strongly, and the scarf flew off. With a small cry that was drowned out by the wind, Zuko let go of Ursa's hand, and took off after the scarf into the blizzard.

-

-

Ursa could honestly say she had never been so happy to see the inside of a Fire Nation ship. The inside was warm, but only then, without the biting snow to hide the emptyness in her hand, did she realize that Zuko was not there. She glanced around the room, but couldn't see him. Terrified, she ran out on deck, and looked around, but Zuko wasn't on the ship. She turned to go inside to search again, but ran into Iroh.

"Ursa, what's the matter?" he asked. "Where's Zuko?"

"He didn't get on the ship!" Ursa cried, tears rolling down her face as the ice slowly got smaller. "He's still back there!" Lightning flashed, and Ursa turned toward the railing, letting out a concerned scream, and reaching out over the ocean. "We have to go get him!"

Iroh shook his head. "We can't!" he yelled, hoping he was loud enough. The wind was roaring, and the waves were getting larger and larger. Too large to get close to an iceberg the size of the one Zuko was presumably on. "It's too dangerous! We'll return when the storm has passed."

"_NO_!!" Ursa screached, turning to Iroh. "He might be dead by then. He'll freeze! He'll catch his death out there!"

Iroh wrapped his arms around his sister-in-law. "I know you are worried for Zuko's safety, but think, Ursa. What about Azula? She's barely two years old. And your husband. It's too dangerous to go back now. I want to, too, believe me, Ursa, I do. But we can't yet. I promise, Ursa, as soon as this storm passes, we'll go back."

Defeated, and emotionally exhausted, Ursa only nodded mutely, and walked silently back to her room to tell Ozai.

-

-

In the morning, the storm had passed, and the ship returned to the last place Zuko had been seen. Ursa, Iroh, and several of the crew searched everywhere, but it was soon aparent that the 'iceberg' wasn't exactly an iceberg, it was land. And far too large for them to search thouroughly with their small numbers. But still, they were going to try. The boy couldn't have gotten too far. If he'd survived the storm, though no one told the distraught mother of this possibility.

It was two hours into the search, when Iroh heard a despairing sob. Worried, he walked toward her, and placed a hand on her shoulder. Ursa looked up at him, tears of frustration in her eyes.

"He's as good as dead by now," she whispered. "he's just a baby..." Iroh knelt next to her, and pulled ursa into his arms.

"He'll be alright," Iroh assured her. "He's a strong boy. I know he's young, but he'll be fine. We'll find him."

Just then, the captain of the ship came up to them, looking nervous and apologetic.

"My lord, Lady Ursa," he started worriedly, averting his eyes in shame. "There's a storm aproaching. A bad one. I'm afraid we'll have to leave the area, and return to the palace."

Ursa shook her head fervently, scanning the white horizon as though expecting to see her Zuko suddenly appear, running toward her as though nothing had ever happened at all. "No! We have to find him! I'm not leaving without Zuko!"

The captain sighed sadly, and looked away. "I...I'm sorry, my lady. Truly sorry." Only then did Ursa realize his hands were behind his back. Fear and despair gripped Ursa's heart as the captain brought his hands around in front of his body. In them, was a thing that caused Ursa's world to shatter to tiny bits that swiftly blew away in the wind of realization and defeated pain; Zuko's scarf. He never went anywhere without it. "One of the men found it," the captain was saying. "It was bobing in a hole in the ice, over a large lake. I really am sorry. No parent should outlive their own child."

Ursa lowered her head, and for a long time, she was silent. Then she stood, and slowly started walking in the direction of the ship, and then turned back to look at Iroh and the captain. Her eyes were dead. And not even seeing Azula again once she was back on the ship fully restored the light that used to reside there. And when they held a service for the loss of the young prince a week after their return, Ursa did not go. She couldn't. In her heart, she just didn't know for certain if that day had been real, and if she went to the funeral service, seeing the place where her four-year-old would have been if they'd found him, it would have made what happened real. As long as she didn't go to the farewell, she could still pretend that there never was a Zuko, that Azula was her only child, and that was it.

-

-

Zuko, on the other hand, stopped at the edge of the large hole in the ice. He laid down, and tried to reach his scarf, but it was too far. So he'd left, and kept walking, trying to find his way back home. He really wanted his mother. She was warm, and loving and his nose was so cold, and the rest of him was freezing, too. He shivered in his thick jacket.

"Mommy?!" he yelled, hoping his mother was nearby. He was scared. He'd never seen a place so white before, or so cold.

Zuko wandered far looking for his mother and the rest of his family. That night - rather, when he got tired, as he couldn't really tell night from day since the sun was still up - he slept in a small cave. In the morning he left again. Zuko wasn't sure where he was going. It was around midday that he started coughing. It was nothing, at first, but by the next morning, he was feeling hot and cold, he was stumbling, and whenever he coughed, his tiny chest hurt terribly. Tears of fear, lonliness, and pain welled in his eyes.

"Mommy?!" he called in a hoarse voice, coughing harshly. He tripped and fell, landing on his knees and frozen little hands. Then he heard something; a shocked gasp, and someone was suddenly at his side. He raised his head to see a woman with dark hair. But with his fuzzy vision, all he saw was the shape of the woman, and her gentle voice telling him it would be okay.

-

-

"...poor dear...frozen half to death...can't turn him away."

Zuko whimpered from the pain in his chest, and forced his eyes open. Immidiately, he saw the owner of the voice; a woman with brown hair, tan skin, and soft blue eyes. It was someone he didn't know. His mother had always taught him to be wary of strangers, and now he was stuck in the room with one. He wasn't sure who the woman had been talking to, but apparently he'd left. The woman walked over to him and sat dow on the edge of the fur-covered bed. Zuko watched her, scared of what she might do. He'd heard stories of the terrible dark-skinned demons who lived in the south. The woman saw the small boy's fear, and reached out a comforting hand, and gently pushed him back down against the pillows.

"It's alright, little one," she said gently, a soft, loving smile on her face. "You've been quite sick this past week, but you're okay now. Not quite out of the woods, but almost. Another few days, and you'll feel fine again. Now, can you tell me your name, baby?"

"Z-zuko," Zuko whispered, still afraid. She wasn't hurting him, but he didn't know if she was waiting for something. "Wh-where's Mommy?"

The woman's eyes softened instantly.

"I don't know, sweetheart. But you're safe now. I'm Iccari, and I promise, I'll take care of you. You'll be okay."

As the days passed, Zuko did get better. He stopped coughing so much, and his chest didn't hurt anymore. When he was finally allowed out of bed, he met Iccari's two young children; a girl about Azula's age, and a boy just a year younger than Zuko was. The boy was wary, having heard storries of the pale-skinned demons who lived to the north and west of his home. But the girl, barely two, was innocently trusting of the four-year-old foreigner. She latched onto Zuko, and he learned her name first; Katara. The boy eventually came around - his name was Sokka - and as the years passed, the three became great friends. And slowly, memories of Zuko's old life began to fade, but he kept his name, and he still remembered two faces; a woman with his black hair, pale skin, and golden eyes - his real mother, he supposed - and a man with greying hair, and the same features as the woman. His uncle. For some reason, he knew the man wasn't his father. Every time he thought that maybe the man was his dad, his gut told him no, that that was his uncle. But try as he might, he couldn't remember his real father. And so he latched on more tightly to his new family. As he grew, Zuko's bending began to fade until he was ten. Then it returned, though sadly too late to help his mom, Iccari. Devils in red and gold armor had come to the small southern village, and killed her. No one knew why, nor did they ever find out. No one his age had been hit as hard as Katara. Zuko had held his friend and let her cry for hours that night, and many days following. It was years before the Fire Nation returned, but they did. And the world Zuko had always known changed forever.

XxX  
Yeah, I know I should finish my 24 other stories, but more ideas keep poping up. Anyway, I hope you like this, guys. Review please!


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry! I almost forgot about this!! Here's an update for you guys.

The Boy Found  
XxX

"Zuko, watch this," Katara hissed, trying to keep quiet so Sokka wouldn't thwart her attempts at bending. Both knew the other boy hated bending, but it was part of who the two were.

Zuko looked up from the water, turning to face Katara. He leaned a little closer, the slightest blush on his face at getting to be so close to her. Katara pulled off one mitten and moved her hands. A ball of water rose from the ocean, a fish caught inside. Zuko looked at Katara in amazement. He was still entranced by how good she was with her bending. Firebending had always seemed difficult. The moves he saw Katara use for her waterbending didn't translate very well with fire. So he'd made up his own moves. Faster punches, jump-kicks, roundhouse kicks. Anything he learned from warrior training with Sokka.

"Sokka, look!" Katara squeaked, hoping that her brother would finally see the importance of bending. But Sokka didn't turn. He had his spear poised and ready over the water. "But Sokka," Katara continued. "I got one!" She moved the bubble to bring it over the side of the boat, just as Sokka brought his spear back to thrust it at another fish. The end of the spear punctured the bubble, water soaking the three of them. The fish fell back into the water, and got away.

"Katara!" Sokka yelped. "Why is it that every time _you _play with 'magic water' _I _get soaked?"

"Do you see _me _complaining?!" Zuko demanded, squeezing the water out of his black ponytail. "In fact, if _you _had listened to your sister, we'd be one fish closer to dinner!"

Close as they were, Zuko and Sokka fought often, especially when it came to bending.

"Zuko's right, Sokka," Katara snarked. "And it's not 'magic', it's _waterbending._"

Sokka was about to respond, when their canoe rocked violently, nearly sending the three friends into the ocean. Concerned, Zuko grabbed Katara around the waist to hold her down, but missed the grateful smile and fierce blush.

The boat rocked through the swift, narrow currents between the ice floes.

"Left! _Go left!!" _Katara shouted.

Sokka paddled, but the canoe turned toward the right, and the three were tossed from the boat onto a flat iceberg. For a moment, they just stayed there, lying on the ice, Zuko's arms still clamped around Katara. Then Katara wriggled free, and stood, looking at her brother.

"You call that left?" she asked flatly.

"You don't like my steering. Fine." Sokka shrugged, not looking at either Katara or Zuko, then he turned to his sister. "Maybe _you _should have 'waterbended' us out of the ice."

"It's not _her _fault you can't steer a canoe," Zuko said, starting to get annoyed. Sokka glared.

"I didn't see _you _jumping for the paddles!" he snapped.

"Sokka, enough!" Katara yelled. "Zuko was protecting me! It's not his fault this happened! _You're _the one who can't follow directions!"

"I _knew _I shouldn't have brought you!" Sokka growled. "Leave it to a girl to screw everything up!"

Zuko opened his mouth to say something, when Katara started yelling again.

"So it's _my _fault?" she demanded. "Ugh, you are _the most _immature, nut-brained, _sexist - _I'm embarrassed to be related to you!!"

A large iceberg behind Katara started to crack, but she was being way to loud to hear it.

"Um, Katara..." Sokka whimpered.

"_NO!" _Katara shrieked, glaring. "I've had it with you! From now on, you're _on your OWN!!" _

"Katara," Zuko whispered, pointing at the iceberg. Suddenly, it broke apart, the force of the large chunks hitting the water sending them flying across the ocean. Once their chunk of ice stopped rocking, Sokka rolled his eyes.

"Congratulations, Katara," he growled sarcastically.

"You mean," Katara gasped, "_I _did that?"

Zuko nodded.

"Yep," he replied shakily.

"Wow."

"You've officially gone from weird, to _freakish, _Katara," Sokka stated.

At that moment, the water in front of them began to glow. A large, round iceberg popped up.

"Woah," Zuko breathed, slowly removing his arms from where they'd been around Katara's waist to hold her steady. A slight blush tinted his cheeks, and he turned away, missing the pink on Katara's face.

Slowly, the three stood, and stared at the iceberg.

"There's someone in there!" Katara exclaimed suddenly, racing across little chunks of ice to the iceberg.

"Katara, get back here!" Sokka cried. "We don't know what that thing is!"

Zuko looked at Sokka, who was making no move to run after his sister. Rolling his eyes, Zuko jumped from one mini ice chunk to another, until he reached Katara.

"Wait for me!" Sokka called, following carefully.

The three friends stood before the glowing center of the iceberg. There was a small, flat space that jutted out from the ball of ice on which they stood. It was then, as they stared at the glowing orb in front of them, that whatever was in it opened it's eyes. Zuko, who'd leaned close for a better look at the human-ish figure inside, scrambled back, Sokka stiffened, and Katara gasped, grabbing Sokka's club and stepping forward.

"He's alive!" she cried. "We have to get him out!" And with that, she started whacking at the ice. After one particularly strong hit, the ice cracked open, a huge beam of light dissolving the top, and shooting into the sky. Slowly, a person climbed to the top, and stared down at the three teens. Katara bit back a whimper, Zuko took a firmer version of a waterbending stance, and Sokka leveled his spear at the glowing person .

"Stop!" he demanded. Suddenly, the boy stopped glowing, and slid down the ice, Katara catching him at the end. Slowly, his eyes opened.

-

Aang slowly woke up. The last thing he remembered was rain. Lots of rain. And Appa. Now, he was freezing, but dry. He forced his eyes open to see three faces. The nearest was a girl with tan skin, and dark hair, her face framed by a blue, fur-lined parka. Beside her was a boy with shoulder-length black hair, the top half tied into a ponytail, two thin locks, one on each side, held together with single blue beads. The third face was farther back; this boy looked to be between the girl's age, and the other boy's. His eyes were blue, like the girls, and he only had a strip of hair down the center of his head, tied in a scruffy, very short ponytail. When he looked back at the first boy, he noticed a stark difference. Where the one boy and the girl shared brown hair, tan skin, and bright blue eyes, the other boy had hair black as a raven-bat's wings, golden eyes, and relatively pale skin. But it was the girl that drew him most. She was beautiful.

"Please..." he whispered. "I need to ask you something."

"What is it?" Katara asked worriedly.

"C-come closer." Katara leaned in, so she could hear him.

"Will you go penguin sledding with me?" he asked chipperly, airbending himself up. Katara staggered back, shocked, into Zuko, who caught her around the waist, and held her carefully.

"Wow!" Katara exclaimed, "you're an _airbender!"_

There was a loud groan that made Sokka jump, Katara's eyes go wide, and Zuko tighten his grip on Katara's waist slightly. Aang swung around and clamoured up the ice, and down the other side. "APPA!" the boy yelled.

"Okay, I'll bite," Zuko muttered as he, Sokka, and Katara walked around the ice to a break. "What in the spirit's' names is an 'Appa' - ......oh." Sitting in front of the three of them was a massive, furry thing.

"What exactly _is _that thing?" Sokka asked warily, glancing askance at the large furry beast. Aang grinned, and patted the creature's nose.

"This is Appa, my flying bison," he explained.

"Riiiight," Sokka muttered sarcastically. "And this is Katara, my flying sister."

The thing now identified as a flying bison named Appa began to make odd noises. Zuko's eyes widened when Aang ducked, and followed his lead just as the bison thing sneezed a boat-load of snot that covered Sokka.

"EEEEEWWW!!! EEWWW, EEEWWW, EEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!" he cried, trying to wipe the snot off his face on the snow. Zuko rolled his eyes at Sokka's exaggerated actions. Then the giant furry bison growled, and started sniffing him. Zuko froze, his face changing from shock to disgust when the thing _licked _him. Zuko glared at the creature, wiping his face on his hand, and brushing the saliva off on his parka, grimmacing. He'd have to ask Gran-gran to wash it later, since he sure didn't want to cross Katara today, and Gran-gran always insisted that he not get too wet or cold for very long (his skin was too pale by Water Tribe standards, and sometimes he got sick. After all, he was a firebender, and meant for warmer climates, even if the South Pole had been home for almost longer than he could remember).

"Hey!" Aang said suddenly. "Do you guys live around here?"

"No one answer that!" Sokka yelped. "He could be a spy for the Fire Nation!"

"Does he _look _Fire Nation to you, Sokka?" Zuko dead-panned, arms crossed over his chest.

"Well, if it's not too far, Appa and I could give you all a ride?"

"I think we'll find our own way, thanks," Sokka refused.

"Oh, come _on, _Sokka," Katara groaned.

"No. No way am I getting on that fluffy snot monster!" Sokka crossed his arms, and turned away.

"So, you're hopping some _other _monster will come along and give you a lift?" Zuko asked, raising an eyebrow as he helped Katara up into Appa's saddle. "You know, before you _freeze to death?" _Sokka went rigid for a moment, when he realized what Zuko meant, then turned, and tooke the older boy's offered hand up onto Appa's back.

"Okay," Aang said brightly, "first time flyers, hang on tight!"

Katara grabbed the saddle, and Zuko's hand, and the two stared at each other for a second, then Appa jumped up, and Katara latched onto Zuko's shoulders, eyes shut tight. Then there was a splash, and Sokka made a sarcastic noise of amazement.

"Wow," he commented. "That was _truly _amazing." Zuko leaned over and punched his arm.

"Appa, yip yip!" Aang almost wined. "He's just a little tired," he tld the other three. He frowned when he noticed Katara still had her arms around the one boy, and turned away.

"So," Sokka asked. "If you're not a Fire Nation spy, what's your name?"

"I'm Aang," the boy replied, slightly clipped. "What are your names?"

"Katara," the girl said, having let go of Zuko.

"Zuko," the black-haired boy added.

"I'm Sokka," the other boy said guardedly.

"Hey, Aang?" Katara asked from where she sat by Zuko. "I was wondering....Since you're an airbender, did you know what happened to the Avatar?"

Aang froze for a second, not looking at the three teens behind him. "Uh...... no. I didn't know him. I mean, I _knew _people that knew him, but I didn't. Sorry."

Katara nodded, looking a little disappointed, and leaned back against the saddle.

They got back later that night. Aang was asleep, and Zuko offered to carry the boy into a tent so he could rest. Just as he turned and let the tent flap close behind him, Katara walked by, and Zuko found the perfect chance to talk to her.

"Katara, wait!" he called, jogging over to her. "Um.... can - can I talk to you?"

Katara nodded, conscious of the blood rushing to her face at Zuko's hand gently taking hers.

"I....You, me, and Sokka...... we're....ah.... the only o-ones our age in the whole village."

Katara looked at him, wondering just what he was going for.

"I....umm.... Katara..." Zuko sighed, trying to regain his self control. "Close your eyes. Please?"

"Zuko?"

"You've known me since we were little kids," Zuko said softly, blushing. "Please, trust me."

Katara nodded, and closed her eyes, the sight of his lovely gold ones the last image in her mind. Then she felt warm lips over her own, and she froze for a moment, before she leaned into the kiss, wondering why Zuko had waited so long to tell her. But she certainly couldn't think of a better way for him to show her.

Zuko pulled away first, and looked in her eyes. Katara smiled up at him slightly, her face flaming. Zuko's ears were a cute shade of pink, and the flush spread even over his nose so that there was a line of red across the middle of his face. Katara looked away for a second, then quickly pecked his cheek.

"You know," she said softly. "I think I like you."

"I like you, too," Zuko grinned, kissing her again. He held her hand as they walked back to their small igloo. In his room, Zuko flopped onto the fur-covered bed, and sighed. He couldn't believe he'd just done that. He'd just _kissed _his best friend's sister. He was _in love _with his best friend's sister. Sighing, he sat up, and pulled out the piece of mother-of-pearl shell from under his pillow, and took the small hunting knife from it's place in his boot. Very carefully, he started carving a design into the shell. It was the sun setting into the ocean. The mother-of-pearl shimmered in the dim moon light. He wondered if this was going too quickly? Was he rushing his emotions? Sighing, he tucked the pendant back under his pillow, and put the knife on the night stand, and went to sleep.

In the morning, Katara introduced Aang to the rest of the village. The people were nervous, and probably had every right to be. They'd never seen an airbender before, and they were wary. But Aang had quickly earned their trust, by showing off; he did airbending, flew on his glider - right into Sokka's watch tower. Then he'd commandeered his warrior class (the oldest soon-to-be 'warrior' was about five), and let them play with Appa. Zuko had thought it funny, how mad Sokka had gotten. Then Aang started freaking out about penguins.

"What's _up _with that kid?!?" Sokka demanded, coming over to stand with Zuko, who just shrugged.

"He's a _kid, _that's what's 'up'?" the firebender replied.

"He didnt' know about _the war,_" Sokka deadpanned. Zuko blinked.

"That is odd."

Zuko was helping Sokka rebuild his watch tower when it happened. It had been about an hour after Katara had gone off after Aang, and Zuko seemed to be a bit paranoid about it.

"Come on, Zuko," Sokka sighed. "They'll be back. They're probably still sledding."

Zuko shook his head, looking out over the ice wall around the village to the icy, snowy world beyond. Sometimes, in his dreams, he saw a little boy he supposed was himself, wandering lost and alone, crying for the woman and the man he remembered. But there was another face that sometimes came into his thoughts; younger, rounder, certainly female, but just a toddler, barely any more than two years old. The little girl had golden eyes like him, and the same inky black hair and pale skin. His sister, maybe?

But his thoughts were on the present, not the past, and there was a knot of dread in his stomach.

"I don't know," he muttered. "Something just doesn't feel right."

As though his words had set it off, a signal flare suddenly shot up in the distance, and Zuko's eyes went wide, as did Sokka's. Zuko felt something in him clench. He knew where they were; the old Fire Nation ship from a good eighty years ago. Zuko had never seen it, but he'd heard of it. And when everyone stood at the front of the village to watch Katara and Aang return, Zuko was at the front with Sokka and Gran-gran. When he saw Aang, he frowned, almost glaring. He knew Katara, and he knew that going on that ship wouldn't have been her idea.

"I _knew _it!" Sokka growled, pointing his boomerang at Aang. "You signaled the Fire Navy with that flare, didn't you?!?"

"Sokka, Aang didn't do anything!" Katara defended. "It was an accident!"

"Yeah," Aang agreed. "We were on that ship, and there was this booby trap, and well, we sort of boobied right into it."

"Katara, you should not have gone on that ship," Gran-gran chastised, shaking her head.

"But - ..... Zuko?"

Zuko shook his head.

"Katara, this was so irresponsable," Gran-gran sighed. "We could _all _be in danger, now."

"Don't blame her!" Aang said quickly. "It was my fault. I brought her."

"So, the traitor confesses," Sokka glowered. "Warriors," the village kids who had run to Aang when he'd come back looked to Sokka, "away from the enemy! The foreigner is _banished_ from our tribe!"

"Zuko, come on!" Katara pleaded, turning to the firebender. "Help me out here!"

"I can't," Zuko replied. He glared at Aang. "That booby trap could have been harmful! What if Katara had gotten hurt?! All because _you _can't listen to someone's rules!"

"I'm sorry," Aang whispered. "I didn't think that would happen."

"Get out of our village," Sokka said simply, pointing away from the village with his boomerang. Katara glared.

"Fine! If Aang is banished, the _so am I!! _C'mon, Aang!"

Zuko felt something in him shift. Katara couldn't just...._leave! _She belonged with them. With him.

"Katara, where are you going?" Sokka demanded.

"To find a waterbender," Katara growled. "Aang's taking me to the North Pole."

"Would you really choose _him?" _Sokka asked. "Over your own family?"

"Katara," Aang saidsoftly, touching her shoulder. "I don't want to come between you and your family."

Katara looked in his eyes, and saw just how serious he was.

"So, this is it? This is.... good-bye?"

"Thanks for penguin sledding with me," Aang smiled sadly. Silent, he jumped up into Appa's saddle, and wandered off.

Zuko walked carefully up to Katara's side, one hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry it turned out like this," he whispered. "I liked the kid."

"So am I!" Katara hissed, glaring tearfully into Zuko's eyes, and Zuko had the idea she didn't mean she was sorry about Aang.

Katara stormed away, and everyone went back to the village. Alone, Zuko screamed in frustration, and punched the nearest thing he could find; a large pile of snow that crumbled when his fist hit it.

_Stupid, stupid!! Why would she love _you?!? _That kiss was a mistake, and you _knew it!!! _This just made things that much worse! _

Hot tears welled in his eyes, but before they could fall, a pair of arms had latched around his neck, and Katara was sobbing into his shoulder.

"It isn't _fair! _How could Sokka just banish him like that? That was my one chance of becoming a waterbender! And he's just a _kid, _Zuko!"

"I don't like it either," Zuko told her, wiping Katara's tears away. "But it'll be okay. We'll get to the Northern Water Tribe, some day; you and me. I promise, Katara. Let's go home."

Katara nodded, let him kiss her - she returned it a little - took his hand, and walked with him back to the village. They could see the commotion, and knew that there would be trouble as soon as a Fire Nation ship appeared.

XxX  
That's chapter two! Hope you guys like it. And with the Zutara; bear in mind, they've known each other almost as long as they can remember, so, it would kinda make sense. Review please!


	3. Chapter 3

Family  
XxX

Zuko and Sokka stood side by side, weapons at the ready waiting for the enemy to show. Zuko's mind was going back and forth. The enemy was his original people, that he knew for certain.

But his home was here, in the Southern Water Tribe. Sokka, Katara, Gran-gran, the absent Hakoda, who was fighting in the Earth Kingdom, even now; they were his family. Sokka was like a brother to him, and Katara, well.... he loved her. Gran-gran fussed like any old matron, and Hakoda, before he'd left, had been a father _and _a friend to the misplaced firebender. But something told him, that, after today, everything was going to change.

The ground shook, and Sokka's watch tower collapsed again.

"Oh, man!" he groaned, eyes on his collapsed tower, until Zuko's hand touched his shoulder. Sokka looked first at his companion, who's golden eyes were wide, and frightened, though the rest of his face was set determinedly, then out to what the firebender was looking at; a _huge metal ship _was heading straight for their village.

"Oh.....man...."

"Yeah...."

Down on the inside of the wall, the women were rushing their children into the tents and igloos. As she pushed Gran-gran into a tent, she looked back at Sokka and Zuko, directly in the path of the ship.

"Sokka, Zuko, get out of there!" she yelled. Both boys stood their ground, and when the ship crashed into the ice wall, they slid down on top of the snow. Sokka shifted his spear as the front end of the ship began to open, and Zuko readjusted his grip on his whale bone sword. This would be one interesting fight.

-

-

Iroh stood ready as the front end of the ship opened, and the ramp lowered into the snow. He looked at the village, and his heart ached. There were none but women and children here. The only warriors were two boys - just teenagers - who, though terrified like everyone else, refused to back down, weapons ready in slightly shaky hands. The one had dark skin, brown hair, and blue eyes like the rest of the villagers, but the other boy was pale, his hair inky black, eyes fiery gold.....

Iroh shook his head, blinking in shock. It couldn't be......could it? Was it at all possible that Zuko was alive, and _right in front of him_? Slowly, Iroh walked down the ramp. He dodged the blue-eyed boy's attack, and cringed when he fell into the snow, head first. The other boy hesitated, looking at him with some dim recognition. That was when Iroh was sure.

"Zuko?"

Zuko blinked. He knew he recognized the man from _somewhere, _but...... The old man in his dreams! His uncle!

"U-uncle?"

There was confusion in the teen's voice, and Iroh wished they hadn't given up when they found the scarf all those years ago. Then maybe things would have been different.

_Yes, different, _Iroh's mind told him. _Zuko would have been Ursa's focus, leaving Azula free to Ozai. Zuko would have wanted to come with you to that last war meeting. Things would have been _very _different._

"Zuko," Iroh smiled, and reached out to his nephew. Zuko stepped forward, still unsure, then he looked at the older man again, and he was certain, and he hugged him tightly.

"Uncle...."

Iroh returned the embrace just as hard, and tears pricked at his eyes. He remembered everything. From the moment they'd realized Zuko had been left behind, to finding the scarf, to the boy's funeral, to his birthdays - with every year that passed, Ursa had attached herself more and more to Azula, making sure she did not turn into her father. She had wanted to come into the war council three years ago that cost a whole division of new recruits their lives, but Iroh had been firm. He didn't want her exposed to the callousness of the generals, nor did he want there to be any potential for her to incur Ozai's wrath. He was rough on Azula. Only allowed her a smile, or a favoring gesture when she was making leaps and bounds with her firebending. Iroh was not blind. That was the only reason Azula was still at the palace.

Just then, Iroh, Zuko, and the majority of the village, who had come out of hiding when they saw that one of their own trusted the new comer, were showered with snow, and a strong gust of controlled wind blasted Iroh into a near-by snow bank. Everyone stared for a moment at the boy in orange and yellow in shock.

"AANG!!" Zuko yelled. "That was my _uncle!" _Zuko ran over and pulled the man out. "Uncle? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Zuko," Iroh chuckled. "Though I must admit; that would be quite a wakeup call."

Zuko laughed, and smiled.

"Uh..." Aang stood to one side, looking sheepish and apollogetic. "Sorry about that, sir."

"It's quite alright, son," Iroh laughed. "My name is Iroh, and you are?"

"I'm Aang!" the boy replied brightly.

"Wait!" Sokka demanded, running over, spear leveled at Iroh. "He's still Fire Nation! What are you doing here?"

Iroh looked uncomfortable for a moment.

"I was sent by Fire Lord Ozai to try and locate the Avatar, and bring him back to the Fire Nation," he explained. To Zuko, "Your father is Fire Lord Ozai. If you wanted, Zuko, I could bring you home."

Zuko stared at his uncle, shocked. His.....home? He looked around; Sokka was glaring mistrustfully and shaking his head. Gran-gran seemed impassive, the rest of the village, shocked. Then his eyes found Katara. She looked at him pleadingly, her tear-bright blue eyes begging him not to go.

"_This _is my home, Uncle," he replied. "Thank you for offering, though."

"I understand," Iroh nodded. "After all, 'home is where the heart is,' as they say."

Zuko looked at Iroh. The old man had a knowing look in his eyes, and smiled slightly, his eyes flickering from Zuko to Katara and back. Zuko turned his head to hide a blush.

"If you're here for the Avatar, he's not here!" Katara growled from where she stood.

"Yes, he is," Aang said, holding out his staff.

"Aang?!" Katara gasped.

_"You?!"_ Iroh realized, eyes wide. "But, you're just a boy! I can't let Ozai do this." He thought for a moment, then turned back to Aang. "You must get out of here," he said quickly. "Get as far away as you can. If I simply return saying I found nothing, someone will find it suspicious, and come looking. And I can assure you; they won't leave this place intact."

"Wait," Zuko cut in, sounding confused. "People in the Fire Nation are _that _paranoid about the Avatar?! He's just a _kid!"_

"Ah, but they don't know that, Nephew," Iroh reminded him.

"We could all go to the North Pole!" Aang said suddenly. "We could find someone to teach Katara waterbending, and we could get out of here!"

"And you could come with us, Uncle!" Zuko agreed, smiling. Iroh shook his head.

"It would be too suspicious, Zuko," he sighed, watching sadly as Zuko's face fell. "Much as I would like to accompany you, I cannot. I will, however, follow you with the ship. The crew need not know the truth." He smiled, and winked at Zuko, happy to see the teen's face light up again.

"Then it's settled," Sokka piped up. "The four of us will go on Appa - who, by the way, Aang, _can't fly - _and Iroh will follow us." Then he was close in Iroh's face, boomerang pointed against the old man's nose. "But if you try to capture us, it won't end well."

"Sokka, back off!" Zuko demanded, forcing himself between Sokka and his uncle. "He's my uncle. He _won't _betray us."

Sokka glared, but stood down.

"We should get going," Katara said, coming to stand beside Zuko. "Iroh, sir, you should get back to your ship, before your crew gets suspicious. We'll leave in the morning."

Zuko frowned. He didn't like the idea of this, but they had to. It was the only way. He hugged his uncle hard, and Iroh returned the embrace.

"I'll see you soon, my Nephew," he promised. "After so many years, I won't be far away."

Zuko nodded, and stood back, letting him go, and watching as he walked up the ramp and back onto the ship. He watched the ramp close, and turned back to the others.

"Let's get ready," he sighed, walking past them to the igloo. Katara looked from him, to the ship, and jogged after him. She could see that Zuko was upset over this, and she didn't want him to be alone. He was the kind of person who needed someone to sit there, and smile at him and give a kind word before letting him think when he was upset.

"Zuko?" Katara asked, walking into the firebender's room. "Are you okay?"

Zuko was sitting there, turned away from her, looking at something in his hands. Sighing, he turned to face Katara as she sat down.

"This could be dangerous," he muttered. "We have to go halfway across the world, with a Fire Nation ship following our every move. And even _with _my uncle in charge, the crew doesn't know that. They could hurt us."

"Zuko," Katara smiled, gently touching the teen's shoulder. "I'm sure we'll all be okay." Zuko shook his head, and looked at his hand. It was closed around something.

"Anything could happen, Katara," he remined her. "And, I do care about you. I didn't just kiss you for fun. I _like _you. And in case I don't get to do this later..."

Katara gasped when he held out his hand, and uncurled the slender, pale fingers. The ribbon that had held back his hair when they'd found him lay across his hand, a circular piece of a mother-of-pearl shell, with a carving of the moon and the sun sewn to it.

"Z-zuko....." she whispered, eyes wide. Zuko turned away.

"If you don't want it, just say so."

"Are you _kidding _me?!" the waterbender demanded, eyes bright as a smile blosomed on her face. "Do you _know _how long I've had a crush on you? Of _course _I'll acept it!" And with that, she threw her arms around Zuko's neck, kissing him soundly. Then she pulled back, and removed her mother's necklace. "Here. You wear this one. That way, if we ever get separated, I'll always know for sure that it's you."

Zuko carefully took Kaiya's necklace. The woman had been as much a mother to him as she had been to her real children. Running a thumb over the carving on the stone, he carefully tied the necklace around his wrist, tying it tightly. Then he looked back at Katara, and wrapped his arms around her, squeezing gently, lovingly.

"No matter what, Katara," he whispered into her hair. "I'll be there. Your family, you know, is my family, too."

XxX  
I can't believe I forgot about this! Sorry for the long wait, readers. I hope you liked it and please review!


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